These super fluffy pancakes are sure to be a showstopper at your next brunch party! This recipe is quick, easy, and doesn’t require any buttermilk!
This post is all about teaching you how to make thick, airy pancakes without the need for special equipment or buttermilk. And while there is a recipe, I urge you to read through the entire post – the truth of it is, making wondrous pancakes is very do-able however, there is some knowledge and technique involved!
Don’t worry…it’s not going to feel like you’re stuck in chemistry class. It’s just some basic tips and explanations that often get overlooked when it comes to making pancakes at home.
Jump to:
Life is all about yummy fluffy pancakes.
Admit it, a world without pancakes would be bleak, maybe not even worth living in. You love pancakes, don’t you? You do. It’s okay, I do too. My favourite thing about pancakes (other than eating them, of course!) is watching maple syrup drip off the edges of my pancake tower, like some sort of sun-kissed waterfall.
Fluffy pancakes are one of my all-time favourite Sunday morning breakfast treats. The problem is that a lot of great pancake recipes call for buttermilk. (Honestly, who keeps buttermilk at home? Is that a North American thing?)
Without it, you can end up with a flat, lifeless pancake that looks too much like a lost crepe. Here’s a quick and easy recipe to make super fluffy pancakes with ingredients you probably already have at home. Never buy that horrid box of premix again. Please.
Can you make Fluffy Pancakes without buttermilk?
In short, yes. This pancake recipe uses no buttermilk at all (it does require regular milk though). So, you may ask, what’s the deal with buttermilk? Well, it’s terribly in vogue when it comes to baking. And there’s a reason for it. The acidity in buttermilk helps the pancakes rise.
On the flip side, I’ve never known anyone to regularly stock up on buttermilk. In fact, until I moved to Canada, I had never even seen buttermilk… not even at a supermarket!
(If you’re ever in a real pinch – you can create your own buttermilk alternative by mixing a cup of milk with a tablespoon of white vinegar and letting it sit for 10 minutes. Perhaps less conventionally, you could also use a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice instead of vinegar. Neither option tastes as good as the real thing, but they’ll do the trick. Thankfully, with this recipe – you won’t need to!)
Now, if you do happen to have buttermilk, you can give this Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes recipe a shot!
Why are my pancakes flat? How can I make my pancakes fluffier?
There are a number of factors that can lead to your pancakes being flat. But here are the four horsemen of the pancake apocalypse (pancalypse…panpocalypse…pancakalypse…help):
- Overmixing your batter – overmixing your pancake batter will deflate a lot of the air bubbles in your batter, making it difficult for your pancakes to rise into the light and fluffy pancakes you want (the video in my recipe section is an example of this!). Secondly, it’ll develop gluten. And too much gluten will result in a tough, chewy pancake.
- Stale Baking Powder – baking powder typically has a shelf life of 9 months to a year. To check whether your baking powder is still fresh, simply stir half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of water. If you see an immediate reaction (it’ll fizz up, bestie!), then it’s still good to use. If not, you should consider replacing it.
- Humid Conditions – This is based on an observation made by many of my readers (you can see it mentioned in the comments section below). But a very humid kitchen results in a runnier batter, which means less fluffy pancakes. If you happen to be in a place that is very humid, try putting your batter in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to make sure it doesn’t become too fluid/runny.
- Not Letting Your Batter Rest – Letting your batter rest before cooking allows the starch granules in the flour to expand resulting in an airier pancake.
- The Violent Flip – Turn the pancakes over gently. Flipping them high into the air results in the air literally being squished out of them!
Also…make sure to relax, bestie. Making pancakes should be a pleasurable experience! And this fluffy pancake recipe is simple; it doesn’t require any fancy steps (like whipping egg whites into a meringue). Be mindful of the tips above, and pay attention to your heat management, and you’re sure to be fine.
(If you want to do a little reading, check out my How to Read a Recipe Post – it’ll help you understand the procedures and the measurements used in a recipe post, like this one!)
Of course, if you do end up burning your first pancake, just remember what they say: “Le première crepe est pour les chiens!” (A French saying meaning, “The first crepe is for the dogs!”).
How to make fluffy pancakes with pancake mix
While this post is really about homemade pancakes without buttermilk, a lot of readers have asked me if it’s possible to make fluffy pancakes using pancake mix. The answer is…yes! Absolutely.
Generally speaking, I find buttermilk pancake mixes are better for this. What you want to make sure is that you follow the recipe on the box exactly, and also keep the tips mentioned above in mind.
Getting fuller pancakes is just as much about technique as it is about components, and if you go rogue on either thing, it becomes just that much harder to get that perfect result!
Storage instructions
Though they are best served fresh and warm, these pancakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Store your maple syrup separately (and not on top of the pancakes), so that it doesn’t soak through.
Other no-buttermilk pancake recipes
Here are four other amazing pancake recipes that don’t require any buttermilk at all. Each one is unique, and delicious!
- Lemon Mascarpone Pancakes – perfect for days when you’re looking to impress with an elegant pancake recipe.
- Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes – this is the pancake you serve when you want everyone to spend the first 5 minutes of the meal taking photos of the food.
- Dutch Baby Pancake – a pancake with a twist! Quick and simple to make.
- Fluffy Japanese Pancakes – taking a bite out of these meringue-based babies is like eating a delicious cloud! (Yes, they spark joy.)
Fluffy Pancakes, Updated: What’s Changed?
If you’ve been visiting my blog for a while, you may realise that this is a republished version of one of my very early blog posts (also titled, “Fluffy, Fluffy Pancakes”, originally published: February 17th 2015). I’ve updated the post quite significantly.
While the recipe is the same great pancake recipe it’s always been, I’ve rewritten the post with the aims of addressing some of the major questions I’ve received from commenters over the last few years. If there’s anything you feel is still missing, please do let me know with a comment below.
I’ve also done my best to create a clearer, more readable post, while maintaining the gist and the feel of the original. (The original post was written quite some time back, it was mostly me rambling about how much I love pancakes!)
Helpful tools
Heads up! The following is an affiliate link. If you buy something using the link, I will receive a small commission. You won’t need to pay a penny more, but it’ll help keep my lights on! Thank you bestie, you rock!
Luckily, it doesn’t take much equipment to make perfect pancakes. It is however a lovely feeling to have all the right equipment. Here are a few little things that might make your pancake-making experience just that much sweeter.
- Silver Dollar Pancake Pan – if you want your pancakes to all look exactly the same.
- Zwilling J.A. Henckels Marquina Non-Stick Frying Pan – a good pan is crucial to properly cooking pancakes, and this one is sure to please.
If you like what I’m doing here, and you want to help, why not go ahead and become a Patron? You can support Chocolates & Chai for as little as the price of a cup of coffee!
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📖 Recipe
Fluffy, Fluffy Pancakes
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 6–7 Pancakes 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A surefire recipe to make fat and fluffy pancakes, without any buttermilk or special ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour, sifted
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 tbsp White Sugar
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoon Milk
- 1 Large Egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- Canola Oil (or any other vegetable oil), for cooking
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, mix the egg, milk, vanilla, and melted butter together. Be careful not to use hot, melted butter, as that may end up cooking your eggs!
- Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients and stir till mostly incorporated. The batter should be thick and a little lumpy, but without any visible streaks of flour. If it is too thick to work with, add a little milk. Set the batter aside for 5-10 minutes.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed, non-stick pan over a low-medium heat and coat it with oil. Use a ¼ cup measure to scoop and drop the batter into the pan so that you get evenly-sized pancakes.
- Cook until the first side is golden brown, or until the top surface forms bubbles. Flip and repeat on the other side. Adjust heat accordingly. Serve while still hot.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Breakfast & Brunch
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: fluffy pancakes, fluffy pancake recipe, fluffy pancake recipie, fluffy fluffy pancakes, fluffy pancake, pancake recipe, pancakes for two, no buttermilk pancake, no buttermilk pancakes, fluffiest pancake, fluffy pancakes рецепт
Really fluffy like the pictures. People who are not having success are probably making a lot of mistakes. These pancakes are great. FLUFFY every time and not bitter (lol? wut.)
★★★★★
Absolute disaster… Never again. I’ve made real Japanese fluffy pancakes many times. This is not the way. You have to beat egg whites first.
★
….. If you only bothered to read the recipe, you’d know these aren’t Japanese pancakes. He has a different post for Japanese pancakes. These are a base recipe for fluffy pancakes using no buttermilk.
AND THEY’RE FANTASTIC.
★★★★★
This recipe is not to make Japanese-style pancakes, but rather to make traditional American-style pancakes to get a lighter and fluffier result.
These aren’t Japanese fluffy pancakes.
★★★★★
This was a great recipe. The pancakes were fluffy ( or at least my last two were because I have the bad habit of pressing down on the pancake, so once I stopped doing that they got really fluffy lol) and tasted really good. Sifting the flour and baking powder really does aírate the dry ingredients and help with making the pancakes fluffy. My batter yielded 12 pancakes because I used a 1/4 cup to pour my batter into the pan, which helped keep the size of the pancakes uniform and made sure the inside was cooked fast.
★★★★★
I’ve been making this recipe for years and it comes out fluffly and perfect everytime! Everyone (kids and adults) whose had it always raves about it. Even my family members who do not like sweets raved about it!
★★★★★
wow this recipes its very interesting and looks amazing !
★★★★★
It wasn’t bad but it passes
★★★
These pancakes were actually so good! They were VERY fluffy and tasted great as well!!
★★★★★
They turned out great for me. Thanks!!
★★★★★
This is my family’s go to recipe for fluffy pancakes every time. So good!
★★★★★
Excellent recipe, been using it for a few years now and I always get rave reviews (even from a one year old)…I don’t even add the sugar (since it gets drowned in maple syrup anyway) and have made it with wholewheat flour with the same results, a delightfully fluffy pancake that is super easy to make!
★★★★★
Followed the recipe exactly, only doubled.
Pancakes were fluffy, yes… but they tasted like sweet play dough. Threw out the whole batch.
★
These aren’t Japanese fluffy pancakes.
★★★★★
We know. They’re American pancakes with a bit more baking powder than usual to give them a nice lift. You’re weird
★★★★★
Will definitely be trying this recipe in the morning. For the 1 cup of flour, how many grams would it be? Or do you recommend using the measuring cup. If using the measuring cup, packed or leveled/spooned? Thank you!
Hi Catherine,
I usually just use a packed measuring cup – I believe it is approximately 125-130g. Hope that helps!
Flour should always be measured by spinning and leveling no packing..
Hi Sacora,
There are different thoughts on this depending on who you listen to and where you are. From a chef’s viewpoint, spooning/levelling is likely just as problematic as packing a cup (the most precise answer is weighing). However, in this case the difference between packing or spooning would be small enough that wouldn’t make a difference to the final pancakes. Hope that helps!
I love it! Sooo good. Best pancakes ever. the people who dislike these pancakes think it’s Japanese pancakes and they aren’t. Please read the title of the recipe.
★★★★★
Followed the recipe exactly. Turned out great! Fluffy and tasty.
★★★★
Followed the recipe exactly. Turned out great! Fluffy and tasty.
★★★★
We know. They’re American pancakes with a bit more baking powder than usual to give them a nice lift. You’re weird
★★★★★
Delicious fluffy pancakes! I’ve made this recipe multiple times now because they are such a big hit!
★★★★★
By far the fluffiest pancake recipe, a very tasty one too. Thanks a lot
Overall the pancakes tasted good. However it does not live up to the name of “Fluffy Fluffy Pancakes” as I would have hoped it would. Still they were decent pancakes would recommend making.
★★★
These pancakes come out perfect every time! I occasionally sub 1/4 cup of the flour with buckwheat flour to give them a bite and some fiber. I also like to add a banana or blueberries.
★★★★★
Great recipe for easy fluffy pancakes. I rest mine more (overnight) to achieve a fluffier pancake. And, I do this because I live in a tropical climate country, which affects any recipe created and tested in a temperate climate country.
★★★★★
Really good recipe, thank you!
★★★★★
Not fluffy fluffy
Though mine tasted great, they didn’t rise much more than a normal pancake. What might I have done wrong?
Hi Julie,
It’s hard to say as I wasn’t there with you. I’d recommend reading through the “Why are my pancakes flat?” section in the post as this addresses the most common reasons that people’s pancakes fail to rise. Hope that helps! And good luck!
Can I use this recipe for waffles?
Hi Mari,
I’ve never tried it myself, but I believe some other commenters have done so successfully in the past. Good luck!
Worst pancakes I think I ever made. They didn’t rise at all and the batter was extremely runny. It never thickened up. Even after adding more flour. Maybe I did something wrong but they came out thinner than any other pancake I’ve ever made.
★
Did you use fresh baking powder? Sift the dry ingredients properly? Emulsify the melted butter properly in warmed milk mixed with egg & vanilla essence? Measure correctly? Let the batter rest for 10 minutes? Flip the pancakes gently? Mine turned out perfect today – so happy.
Best pancakes ever! I loved the taste of them! The pancakes were not super fluffy but they were definitely fluffy. I would definitely recommend this recipe!
★★★★★
First decent pancake on the internet I have tried. Thanks. My kids loved it. Kinda reminds me of waffle flavor. Which was yummy.
★★★★★
Made these this morning and they were absolutely PERFECT!! Me and my 4 year old daughter have been making pancakes at least once a month for the last 18 months and this is by far the best (and easiest) recipe. Properly light and fluffy and didn’t leave my mouth scratchy from.baking powder like others have. We doubled the recipe to have them toasted for breakfast tomorrow. Serves with honey and Greek yogurt and fresh fruit, super yum!!! 10/10
★★★★★
OMG! Ive been craving for fluffier and soft creamy pancake!! And this recipe is beyond expectation! Thank you for sharing! I did only 1X measure thats why i want moooooore🤤🤤🤤 i wanted to share the photo but theres no upload here.
★★★★★
So glad to hear you enjoyed the pancakes! Feel free to tag me @yamisohungry or hashtag #chocolatesandchai if you share the photo on Instagram 🙂
My 1st try using this recipe 3x ingredients awesome super fluffy 👌
★★★★★
My 10 year old cousin and I had sleepover night and tried this recipe. She was so dissapointed she asked to write a review (below) and since we are experienced pancake makers I feel comfortable with the 1 star she gave. These were not only not “the fluffiest” but were essentially crepes/flapjacks they were so flat. -J (27)
In my cousin’s words: “These pancakes were not fluffy AT ALL, not what we excpected. They tasted fine but they were kinda stiff”- M (10)
★
A 1 star review based on cooking with a 10 year old? Seriously?
If the pancakes were stiff, you overmixed the batter. HE EXPLAINS THIS IN THE POST.
★★★★★
I haven’t made this reciepe as you do not allow it to be printed.
Hi Pat,
I’m sorry for the inconvenience. I had to remove the Print button as it was being used by some not so nice websites – if I’m able to find a fix, I’ll bring it back (unfortunately, I’m just a small blogger so I don’t have the IT resources that larger blogs do).
In the meantime, you can still print the recipe by selecting it, right-clicking, and hitting the print button. Hope that helps! 🙂
Pat, what you could do to print off the recipe is open up a fresh Word document, still have this page up and copy and paste the entire recipe onto the document then just hit print. Trust me, it works as I do it all the time.
★★★★★
Delicious! My family and I all really enjoyed our extra fluffy pancakes this morning. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
★★★★★
Made this recipe, only change was adding some orange zest. It was delicious. It felt strange leaving the batter only barely mixed in, but it worked a treat and the pancakes were very fluffly. Next time I will double or triple the recipe as it wasn’t enought for our family of 3 – but that’s on me.
★★★★★
I made this recipe but made waffles instead, and they were SO GOOD. SO fluffy, and the taste just melted in my mouth. This is my go-to recipe now!
★★★★★
First 2 came out impossibly thin, more like crepes than pancakes. Had to add almost a full cup of flour to make them fluffy. Started cooking them on medium and they burn emediately. Outside was burned but inside was completely raw. Only way for them not to burn was on low, not medium low, as low as it goes. Flavor was nice but worst recipe I’ve come across in a while
★★